'I miss you every Christmas day,' said my former sister-in-law, Anita, as she hugged me goodbye after we had caught up recently. 'And I especially miss your Tiramisu,' she added, with a wink and a smile.

Tiramisu is among the most-requested desserts on my repertoire and I've been making it now for, let's see, oh... about forty years. So, yes, I consider that it is one of my specialties.

The cream for this classic Italian dish is traditionally made with raw eggs, which are whipped separately to a sweet and delicious mousse consistency before being added to Marsala-infused mascarpone.

​Given the delicate state of my immune system these days, I thought it best that I look for an alternative to the raw eggs, which should never be consumed by anyone who might be at risk of salmonella poisoning. That is, pregnant women, young children, the elderly and those suffering from any kind of immune deficiency diseases, like me.

Zabaglione, Zabaione (Italian) or Sabayon (French) is a lightly cooked custard-like sauce made from egg yolks whipped with caster sugar and a little alcohol in a copper or stainless steel boil suspended over barely simmering water. I adore it and thought it would sit beautifully in a Tiramisu with my homemade mascarpone and some whipped cream. It takes patience and a little practice to get it right, but after you've made it a few times, you won't look back.

Of course Tiramisu can be served all year round, but it does seem to be hugely popular in the Festive season, which is approaching all too rapidly. Happy cooking, dear friends.

Combine the coffee with the Kahlua and the vanilla extract in a shallow dish and set it aside.

​Next, make the Zabaglione. Combine the egg yolks and caster sugar in a stainless steel or copper bowl which you have sat over a pan of gently simmering water. Take care that the base of the bowl is not touching the water. Add the marsala, if using. Whisk constantly for ten minutes or more, until the mixture thickens to a pale, light but thick and fluffy mousse. Take care not to let it boil, burn or scramble.

Add a serving spoon of the whipped cream to the slightly cooled Zabaglione and fold it through. Then mix the rest of the whipped cream into the bowl. Now, fold in the mascarpone, mixing well but taking care not to beat the air out of the cream.

To assemble the dessert, have an attractive serving dish ready. Dip six of the sponge finger biscuits into the coffee/Kahlua mixture and arrange them over the base of the dish. Spoon half the Zabaglione mascarpone cream over the biscuits and grate some chocolate over the top of that layer. Now dip the remaining sponge finger biscuits into the coffee/Kahlua mixture and arrange them over the top of the cream. Finish with the rest of the Zabaglione mascarpone cream, smoothing the top neatly with a spatula. Grate the rest of the chocolate over the top.

Cover the dish with a sheet of cling wrap and refrigerate the Tiramisu for several hours. This quantity will serve 4-6, depending on appetites. By all means double the quantities if you need to.

Oh, I am SO happy to have your tried and true tiramisu recipe! My oldest is a huge fan and I will test it out on him. He will be thrilled!!! xo

Reply

Andrea Butler

14/11/2015 04:47:53 pm

Hi Liz,
This sounds exactly like a recipe my mum used to make all the time when I was growing up, and she called it "Marsala Pie"! I loved it, blog was evocative of childhood and memories. I am also wary of raw eggs because of a weakened immune system, so love this recipe. Thank you xxx

I'm not really fond of coffee flavoured things, but will always make an exception for Tiramisu. I love it and it's such an easy, but impressive dish to prepare.
Oh - and I'm a Marsala girl from way back. ;-)

Sounds great Liz, will recommend to my elderly mother.
One of my first blog posts in 2012 was about tiramisu and its disputed origins (and Nora Ephron!). Sadly, the restaurant 'Le Beccerie' in Treviso nthn Italy that claims to have invented it has now closed. Here's my blog post for those interested:
https://ambradambra.wordpress.com/tag/tiramisu/

Reply

Eha

14/11/2015 09:05:30 pm

Oh gosh and golly! I don't' do' desserts but remember zabaglione from so many of my 'young bride' days :) ! 'Yummo'!!! And I'll be 'good' for a week and provide this for my next few to have lunch or dinner :) ! Just your way 'cause love the coffee and the blessed Kahlua together!!

Pilchard makes a mean Tiramisu Trifle - but strangely, it's only at Xmas time!! I guess it's so awesome we couldn't cope with it more than once a year. For some weird reason, I've never worried about the raw eggs in it - I'm usually a bit squeamish about such things. Maybe the WOW factor overrides it??!!

I love your recipe, Liz... and I love mine, too. Why can't we love many tiramisu recipes? I am amazed at how many different ones there are, and how good so many of them can be! I think Mark would particularly love yours, as it is lighter in texture than mine.

Dear Lizzy, the one thing always kept me back from making this is a food memory -- I had it once and the biscuits were wet and soggy --- so I never wanted to spend the money on the ingredients. I worked for years on perfecting my trifle for the exact same reason. Do you have an advice for someone who is tactile impaired?

Awwwwh YARM! I love Tiramisu! But it doesnt feature ever in my life.... better get on changing that. And with Kahlua, we used to do something similar at one of the restaurants I cooked at a bazillion years ago. :)
Hope you are well my lovely friend. Looking forward to catching up. xo

What a lovely tiramisu! I haven't had it in a long time and now I've got a craving. You could also use pasteurized eggs. They're actually all I have in my kitchen.

Reply

Trish Weir

17/12/2016 06:33:57 am

Yum- this is my Christmas dessert..

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.

Leave a Reply.

Welcome...

Üdvözölöm

​Cooking and writing have been a lifelong passion.​Join me as I share with you my favourite recipes; postcards and morsels from my travels; conversations with cookery writersand chefs; and news on food, cookbooks ​and cooking.​- Liz Posmyk